Another one of the nature areas in Fort Collins is Riverbend Ponds. It is straight east of me about 4 miles along Prospect Road. I have not been out there for the past 5 years so I stopped by for a walk and look see. The skies were dark and overcast with a few sprinkles here and there and a lot of wind. So much had changed. They have a wooden path leading through a marshy area so I took that path. The cattails were above my head, making it feel like I was in a forest rather than a wetlands area. Everything was green and lush. There are several more of these nature areas for me to explore so I’ll probably be posting a few more images and boring you with stories.
This post is a continuation of the thoughts generated from Earls post on Embracing Chaos and from Tom Dills post on Noise. We all pretty much agree there is visual chaos within nature. I would like to suggest that for some people the sounds of nature may be considered chaos while for others it can be “exalting” music. Music has been an intragel part of man early on. Man has made musical instruments from pounding on hollow logs, carving wooden flutes and violins to our modern mp3 players. Man has chanted and sang for years. Some of us have rhythm and some us struggle to keep the beat. Some can carry a tune and some can’t. I lean more towards the latter of both. When younger I took guitar lessons with aspirations of being a rock star. Due to my lack of musical talent, and dad wouldn’t let me grow my hair long, the reality of that dream quickly faded. Over the past few years listening to rock and roll, country or jazz music no longer appeals for me. I’ve moved away from listening to music or even being around it, choosing quiet or the sounds of nature. So much more enjoyment in the sounds of nature for me.
For me the sounds of nature offers a quiet where the chaotic noise of our society can’t. When March Madness started a couple of my crew members asked me to join them at Buffalo Wild Wings to eat and watch the earlier games. However, attempting to have a conversation with them over the man-made chaos of 20-30 strategically placed televisions is no longer appealing. That is chaos to me. For me the sound of wind blowing through the leaves, the meadowlarks morning song, the cadence of falling rain, or the clap of thunder from a passing storm, or the quiet of a snowfall is a soothing sound to me. Maybe I’m just getting old but it’s natures music that stirs me inside not the beat if a drum.
This was taken after the snow storm had passed through the night. Nature has again created a winter scene for us to enjoy. For me the plowed and shoveled snow of our cities is not a pretty sight. These piles of snow with their sand/salt mixture and various liquid anti-icers and de-icers is not pleasing to me. I would rather see the winter scene as nature made it. I’m also not one to enjoy the cold that comes along with natures winter art but the scenes, even the simple ones, bring a smile to my life.
I like how nature can grab my attention with color. It does not have to be a brilliant color but one that pops out within the frame. There are many reasons leaves will turn yellow. One is a lack of adequate light. When plants become shaded by other plants or by branches higher up on the same plant, the chlorophyll fades away and the leaves yellow. They also change colors because they are not able to maintain adequate levels of the green pigment, chlorophyll. For me it does not matter as long as I enjoy the beauty it presents.
Some will debate about whether a photograph is art. That’s a debate I stay away from. Yet when I see an image of a flower, a clouded sky, a mountain stream, I realize that Nature is the true artist and is in the process of creating new work every moment. I love it!
